The Celtics are bringing back defense in 2025

Only allowing 30 second-half points is impressive, there’s no way around it.

For the second time in three games, the Boston Celtics put on a defensive masterclass when they blew the Houston Rockets out of their own building, 109-86.

It wasn’t always a blowout. The first half was pretty back and forth, actually. Houston got a nice scoring punch from Jalen Green and cleaned up on the offensive glass.

They managed to close an 11-point gap with 14 second-chance points against the Celtics on just six offensive rebounds (insane to think they scored more than two points on each of those extra possessions).

“I thought they got the better of us to start the game from a physical standpoint, and then I thought they did a great job responding,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla.

Boy, did they ever respond.

Once they came out of the locker room, Boston decided that it was time to put an end to just about all of Houston’s offense. Blocked shots, steals, traps, physicality; the second half had it all.

Mazzulla’s players only allowed 30 total points in the second half, and only 12 in the fourth quarter. The Rockets shot just 26.3% from the field and 17.6% from beyond the arc.

Boston either made them work for everything or forced Houston to play through unreliable shooters like Dillon Brooks and Cam Whitmore. Even their makes came off of difficult looks like this one.

The Rockets entered the fourth quarter down by 10. By the time they scored their first points five minutes into the frame, they were staring up at a 19-point deficit. If you want a prime example of how to put a game to bed, look no further.

Even after things were all but over, the Cs continued to trap and pressure ballhandlers with their third unit. It was clear that they were playing on a new level.

Perhaps that had a bit to do with the “look in the mirror” meeting that Kristaps Porzingis mentioned postgame.

When asked what moved the needle on Friday, Mazzulla couldn’t just pick one area.

“You first have to be able to defend at the point of attack, and Luke [Kornet] was able to do that,” he said of the big man’s effectiveness against Rockets center Aleperen Sengun, who scored just 14 points Friday. “And our guards did a great job in pick-and-roll, taking away the seam catch and when they did, KP was there to swarm him. So, it was a team effort defensively. It was good stuff.”

Here are a few more examples of Boston’s straitjacket defense.

A performance like this really couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Celtics and their defense were under the media microscope for the final days of 2024. Buzz began to grow as December was unkind to the reigning champs. It was a month defined by inconsistency, which ultimately led to an 8-6 record.

Boston did end on quite a high note, though. They beat the breaks off of the lowly Toronto Raptors in a 54-point blowout, where they held the visitors to just 71 points.

It was an impressive defensive performance, but it was one that was tough to gauge. Is it really that impressive to put the eight-win Raptors in jail?

Not really.

What is impressive is how the Cs have set the tone in 2025. Their win over the Rockets makes them 2-0 on their current road trip in the new year. This is a stretch that many had circled before the season started. It was always meant to be tough. Boston has played the Minnesota Timberwolves (a Western Conference Finalist last year) and now the up-and-coming Rockets.

In the coming days, they’ll have dates with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, two of the elite teams out West.

Fans should feel great heading into those matchups because of what they just watched in Houston.